Handle assembly with removable keyoperated mechanism



Feb. 6, 1962 F. J. RUSSELL HANDLE ASSEMBLY WITH REMOVABLE KEY-OPERATED MECHANISM Filed Aug. 29, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. EQED J. RUSSELL A TTOQN 5 Y5 BY 1 .6 54% jzmzm Feb. 6, 1962 F. J. RUSSELL 3,019,632

HANDLE ASSEMBLY WITH REMOVABLE KEY-OPERATED MECHANISM Filed Aug. 29, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'RED'CZ RUSSELL INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS 3,019,632 HANDLE ASdEMBLY WETH REMOVABLE KEY- DPEEATED MEQHANISIEG'I Fred J. Russell, 3300 Don Felipe Drive, Los Angeles, Calif. Filed Aug. 29, 195i), Ser. No. 52,674 4 Claims. (Cl. 70-424) The invention relates to door locks and has special reference to a door lock so constructed that the keyoperating mechanism is removable for replacement with a key-operating mechanism of the same physical configuration but which needs a different key for its actuation.

t generally is the present practice to provide handle assemblies which either cannot be rekeyed or which must be removed from the door and disassembled to a considerable extent in order to accomplish a change in the keying.

it is among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved handle assembly wherein the keyoperated mechanism is so mounted and secured in place that it can be easily and readily removed for replacement without the necessity of removing the handle assembly from the door and/or easily and readily remo ed for replacement without disassembly of the handle if the handle assembly already is off the door.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved door lock incorporating a handle assembly such that by a simple operation, using nothing other ban a conventional tool, the entire key-operated mechanism can be withdrawn as a single unit outwardly through the face of the handle and be replaced by another unit of similar construction but employing a different key.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved handle assembly with a removable keyoperated mechanism of such form as to preserve a very simple structure for the necessary parts and to provide for a relationship of such parts in assembled condition that conventional parts now widely used can be made use of in the new combination without appreciable change.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved handle assembly with a. removable keyoperated mechanism incorporated therein which can be extracted by simply releasing a detent, the release, however, being made possible only by an authorized person after the lock has been unlocked and the handle rotated.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved removable key-operated mechanism for a door lock having a rotating handle so constructed that the mechanism for removal of the key-operated mechanism is not readily visible or accessible when the lock is locked because the back of the handle is covered by the handle mount when the handle is locked but is expose when the handle is unlocked and rotated in the handle mount.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG RE 1 is a front perspective view or" a handle assembly equipped with the removable lceyoperated mech anism of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the handle assembly.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-4) of Fi'GURE 2.

FEGURE 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, but with the keyoperated mechanism in removed position and with handle mounting or escutcheon removed.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a partially cross-sectional view taken from the rear showing the handle rotated to unlocked position whereby to expose access to the releasable means by which the key-operated mechanism is held in the handle.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the spring-pressed detent which holds the key-operated mechanism in position.

FIGURE 8 is a longitudinal sectional View or a modified form of the device.

FiGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIGURE 8 taken on the line 9-9 of FIGURE 8.

FIGURE 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG- URE 9 but showing the lock in unlocked position.

in an embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration the handle assembly indicated generally by the reference character in is shown mounted upon a door 11 by means of appropriate bolts 12,, the bolts having smooth heads and fastened by conventional means on the inside of the door so that the handle assembly cannot be removed from the outside. More particularly, the handle assembly 16 consists in the main of an escutcheon 13 which is the portion directly attached to the door 11 and a handle member 14 operably mounted upon the escutcheon. Although the particular handle assembly of the chosen embodiment is shown as one especially well adapted to use on a garage type door, it will be understood that the handle itself, as Well as the escutcheon, may take different forms so that the handle assembly can be suited to varied and different types of installations.

In the interest of providing a better understanding of the environment within which the removable key-operated mechanism is adapted to function, portions of the interior operating mechanism are shown. For example, there is provided a spindle 16, preferably of non-circular crosssection, which extends through a sleeve 17 forming part of the handle 14, there being provided a passage 18 for the spindle. A pin 19 holds the spindle non-rotatably mounted in the sleeve 18. The pin also serves to retain the handle in operative attachment to the escutcheon in that the pin extends outwardly with respect to the sleeve 17 overlying a Washer 19 and an annular spring washer 20. This construction tends to draw the handle snugly into operative position providing a slight resilience so that there is a degree or" frictional resistance exerted against the turning of the handle. It will be noted that there is an annular enlargement 21 forming a shoulder 22 and that the shoulder 22 impresses against a complementary shoulder 23 at the junction of a smaller inside bore 24 with a relatively larger outside bore 25.

To provide for locking the handle against turning and thereby locking the door 11 against opening, a. cylindrical detent 26 is made use of. This detent extends through holes 27 and 35 in the annular enlargement 21. A rounded end 29 of the detent is adapted to extend upwardly, as viewed in FIGURES 3 and 4, into an elongated slot 3! in the escutcheon 13. A ball 31 under pressure of a spring 32 in a suitable aperture 33 is pressed into an annular groove 34 when in the locked position of FIG- URE 3, so that the handle will be maintained in locked position.

A substantially conventional key-operated mechanism 4% is made use of in this device and comprises a barrel 41 on one side of which is a pin tumbler flange 42. Within the barrel is a plug 43 of a substantially conventional construction containing a keyhole 44 in which a key may be inserted. A tailpiece 45 extending rearwardly from a) the plug 43 is received in a recess 46 on one side of the cylindrical detent 26. When the tailpiece, which is a relatively flat element, is rotated in one direction it will press against a shoulder 47 and move the cylindrical detent in a downward direction, as viewed in FIGURE 3, to the position shown in FIGURE 4, meanwhile depressing the ball 31 until subsequently it is pressed into the annular groove 48 which is unlocked position. When the rounded end 29 is withdrawn into the hole 28, the annular enlargement 21 is free to rotate and permits the handle to be rotated. Hence, the spindle 16 is also rotated and is the means by which a latch bolt (not shown) or other type of latch mechanism (not shown) may be withdrawn.

When it is desired to lock the handle against rotation and hence lock the door, the tailpiece is moved in an opposite direction by key operation of the plug 43 and the tailpiece will then move against a shoulder 49. This will force the cylindrical detent upwardly while the ball 31 yields against spring pressure until it reassumes the position of FIGURE 3, in which position the ball 31 will again be urged into the annular groove 34 and the detent will hold the handle in locked position.

Of special consequence is the provision on the outside end of the escutcheon 13 of a face or area 50 which may take virtually any acceptable configuration. In the chosen embodiment the area 58 is fiat and a material por tion of it lies eccentric with respect to and above the axis of rotation of the plug 43.

On the handle 14 is a shank 51. In this particular version, the shank in cross-section is substantially the same shape and size as a collar 52 of the escutcheon, the outer face of which consists of the area 58. Accordingly, there is provided an area or face 53 on the rear or inward end of the shank 51 which is substantially coincident with the area 50 of the escutcheon.

In locked position, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, the areas 59 and 53 coincide with each other. Hence, the area 53 is concealed by the area 50. When the handle is rotated about the axis of the sleeve 17 and annular enlargement 21, a portion of the area 53 will be exposed, as shown in FIGURE 6. This is unlocked and rotated position of the handle.

In the handle there is provided a chamber 55 on one side of which is an enlargement or recess 56. The chamber and recess extend almost entirely through the handle but leave a wall 57 at the rear or inner end. Piercing the wall 57 is an access hole 58, the access hole being offset slightly with respect to the upper edge of the recess 56, as viewed in FIGURES 3 and 4 whereby to provide a shoulder 59.

The chamber 55 is adapted to snugly but slideably receive the barrel 41 while the recess 56 at the same time snugly and slideably receives the pin tumbler flange 42 when the barrel and attached pin tumbler flange are inserted into the chamber and recess. At the inner end of the flange 42 there is provided a hole 60 receptive of a spring 61 and a finger 62, the finger being provided with a spring keeper flange 63 at its inner end. To retain the spring keeper in position, the edge 64 of the hole is pressed inwardly by some suitable tool, whereby to overlie the flange 63 and thus retain the finger in the position illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 7 wherein the spring 61 tends to urge the finger outwardly.

It will be noted that the finger 62 is outwardly extended, as viewed in FIGURE 3, when the barrel 41 and its accompanying flange is fully inserted in assembled position. In this position the finger 62 overlies the shoulder 59.

When it is desired to remove the key-operated mechanism embodied in the barrel 41 and flange 42, by use of an, appropriate key, not shown, the plug 43 is rotated in the manner heretofore described so as to unlock the handle. The handle then may be rotated, which in turn causes a portion of the area 53 to be exposed as shown in FIGURE 6. When this has been accomplished, a short screw driver or other conventional implement can be inserted into the access hole 58 to a position above the finger 62, and by this means the finger 62 may be depressed against tension in the spring 61 until the finger clears the shoulder 59. When this has been accomplished, the key-operated mechanism is freed for removal which can be accomplished by withdrawing the key-operated mechanism by pulling on the turned key which has just been employed to perform the unlocking operation. Hence, it will be clear that no dismantling or disassembling of the parts of the handle assembly is necessary other than to unlock and turn the handle to reveal the access hole. Once the key-operated mechanism has been removed, it can be replaced by another key-operated mechanism of the same design and construction but equipped to operate with a different key. Accordingly, for example, rekeying can be easily accomplished by substituting the proper key-operated mechanism in what might be a garage door lock, thereby to make it readily possible to key a garage door lock to the same keying as may be employed in an adjacent residence.

In a modified form of the device shown in FIGURES 8, 9 and 10, a door 63 has been provided with a hole 69 for reception of the lock assembly indicated generally by the reference character 70. The lock assembly may be described as constituting in general an escutcheon 72 in which a handle assembly 73 and particularly a boss 74 thereof is mounted and adapted to be rotated between locked and unlocked position by means of a handle extension 75. The rotational fit is provided in part by having the outside diameter 76 of the boss 74 snugly and slidably received within the annular wall 79 of a flange '78 forming part of a collar 77. A shoulder 81 at the bottom of the annular wall 79 provides means for limiting insertion inwardly of the boss 74 when an end wall 83 rests thereon.

A projection 35 concentric with respect to the axis of rotation of the handle assembly is rotatably contained so that its outside circumference 87 rotates freely about the inside circumference 88 which forms an aperture in the collar 77. An end wall 91 of the projection may, if desired, abut a shoulder 90. Still another smaller projection 93 is rotatably mounted in an opening 95 in a position such that a portion 94 thereof extends within the hole 69. Washers 97 and 98 contained by a pin 99 serve to hold the handle assembly in operative position as shown, there being provided a transverse hole for the pin 99, in the portion 94 and similar holes in a spindle 108.

For locking and unlocking the handle assembly 73 against rotation, there is provided a hole 102 extending diametrically with respect to the projection 85 and which in locked position of the handle, as illustrated in FIG- URES 8 and 9, is in alignment with an elongated slot 183 in the collar 77. In this position a detent 104 extends from the hole 102 into the slot 103. For shifting the detent into and out of the slot 103, there is provided a recess for reception of a conventional tail-piece 120 of a key-operated mechanism lying within a plug 117 of a key-operated assembly 115. An annular recess 1%)7 receptive of a ball 110 pressed into position by means of a spring 111 in a pocket 112 in the spindle 108 serves to releasably hold the detent in locked position. A similar annular recess 106 is adapted to hold the detent releasably when in unlocked position. As shown the spindle is locked to the handle assembly by use of the same pin 99 which has already been described as overlying the washers 97 and 98.

The key-operated assembly includes in addition an extension 116 which is adapted normally to contain conventional pin tumblers. In the embodiment of the invention of FIGURES 8, 9 and 10 also, the extension provides a means for mounting a spring-pressed detent 123 which normally extends resiliently outwardly into a hole 124, thereby to retain the key-operated mechanism within a chamber indicated generally by the reference character 119.

In locked position of the device, as shown in FEGURES 8 and 9, there is no access from the exterior to the hole 125 nor to the spring-pressed detent 123. When, however, the handle assembly is rotated from the locked position of FIGURES 8 and 9 to the unlocked position of FIGURE 10 by use of an appropriate conventional key (not shown), the tail-piece by being turned against a shoulder 121 withdraws the detent 104 and when the handle is rotated the hole 124 is brought into alignment with a hole 125 in the collar 77 or more particularly the flange 78 thereon. Hence, when by use of a key-operated mechanism the handle assembly is turned from locked position of FIGURE 9 to unlocked position of FIGURE 10, access may be had to the detent 123 which can be depressed by insertion of any small tool, nail, or other instrument, into the holes 125 and 124, thereby to depress the detent and permit extraction of the entire keyoper ated assembly.

By virtue of the fact that a flange 127 of the escutcheon is bolted to the door 68 by use of bolts 129 extending through suitable holes 128 in the flange under circumstances where the bolts have rounded heads not engageable by any type of tool, the lock assembly is secure upon the door against manipulation by any but person anthorized and provided with an appropriate key.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. In a handle assembly for a door lock, an escutcheon adapted to be attached to a door, said escutcheon having a handle-facing area thereon, a handle rotatably mounted on the escutcheon having a portion including an escutcheon-facing area on said handle, means forming an access hole in said portion of the escutcheon-facing area, said access hole being covered by said handle-facing area of the escutcheon when the handle is in locked position, said access hole having a position exposed relative to said handle-facing area of the escutcheon when the handle is rotated away from locked position, blocking means for holding said handle in non-rotatable relationship with said escutcheon, means forming a chamber in the handle, a key-operated mechanism in said chamber operatively associated with said blocking means, a detent in said mechanism and having a portion extending therefrom, detent engaging means within said access hole, said detent having an engagement with said detent engaging means to retain said key-operated mechanism in the handle, said key-operated mechanism being adapted to be released therefrom by instrumentation extended through the access hole into engagement with the detent to enable removal of said mechanism.

2. In a handle assembly for a door lock, an escutcheon adapted to be attached to a door, said escutcheon having a handle-facing area thereon, a handle, an escutcheonfacing area on the handle, said handle being rotatably mounted on the escutcheon at a location offset relative to the mid-portion of said area on the handle, said handle having a locked position and having positions rotated away from locked position, means forming an access hole in the escutcheon-facing area of said handle, said access hole being covered by said handle-facing area of the escutcheon when the handle is in locked position, and said access hole having a position exposed relative to said handle-facing area of the escutcheon when the handle is rotated away from locked position, blocking means for holding said handle in non-rotatable relationship with said escutcheon, means forming a chamber in the handle, a key-operated mechanism in said chamber operatively associated with said blocking means, a spring-pressed detent in said mechanism including a finger extending laterally therefrom, and a shoulder in said hole, said finger having a position of engagement with said shoulder to retain said key-operated mechanism in the handle, said keyoperated mechanism being adapted to be released therefrom by instrumentation extended through the access hole when said handle has been rotated away from locked position, said instrumentation engaging said finger to enable removal of said mechanism for replacement.

3. In a handle assembly for a door lock, an escutcheon adapted to be attached to a door, said escutcheon having a face thereon, a handle, a face on the handle parallel to and adapted to substantially coincide with the face on the escutcheon, said handle being rotatably mounted on the escutcheon at a location offset relative to the midportion of said face on the handle, said face on said handle in locked position of the handle being in close proximity to and substantially concealed by the face on the escutcheon and in unlocked position of the handle having a portion of the face on the handle exposed, blocking means for holding said handle in non-rotatable relationship with said escutcheon, means forming a chamber in the handle, a key-operated mechanism in said chamber operatively associated with said blocking means, a spring-pressed detent in said mechanism including a finger extending laterally outwardly therefrom, means forming an access hole in the portion of said face on the handle which is exposed when the handle is rotated away from locked position, said access hole opening inwardly from said handle face, and a shoulder at an inner part of said access hole, said finger having a position of engagement with said shoulder within said access hole and re taining said key-operated mechanism in the handle and in position non-rotatable relative to said handle, said keyoperated mechanism being adapted to be released therefrom by instrumentation extended through the access hole when said handle has been rotated away from locked position, said instrumentation engaging said finger whereby to enable removal of said mechanism for replacement.

4. In a handle assembly for a door lock, an escutcheon adapted to be attached to a door, said escutcheon having a handle-facing area thereon, a handle rotatably mounted on the escutcheon having a portion including an escutcheon-facing area on said handle, means forming an access hole in the escutcheon-facing area of the handle, said access hole being covered by said handle-facing area of the escutcheon when the handle is in locked position, said access hole having a position exposed relative to said handle-facing area of the escutcheon when the handle is rotated away from locked position, means forming a chamber in the handle, a key-operated mechanism in said chamber, a detent in said mechanism and having a portion extending therefrom, detent engaging means Within said access hole, said detent having an engagement with said detent engaging means to retain said key-operated mechanism in the handle, said key-operated mechanism being adapted to be released and removed from the handle by instrumentation extended through the access hole into engagement with the detent.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,027,731 Holpfer Jan. 14, 1936 2,079,583 Brauning May 4, 1937 2,476,458 Schoepe July 19, 1949 2,877,638 Muttart Mar. 17, 1959 

